Miss (Julia) Pardoe

Born in Beverley, Yorkshire, in 1804, Julia Pardoe began writing while still a teenager. Her early work included poetry, fiction, history, and travel writing, and she became known for her lively style and keen interest in other cultures.

In 1835, Pardoe traveled to Turkey with her father, Major Thomas Pardoe. The journey inspired her best-known books, The City of the Sultan and The Beauties of the Bosphorus, which offered detailed and sympathetic views of Ottoman life, including the experiences of women. She later wrote popular histories of France and continued publishing fiction and nonfiction.

Pardoe received a civil-list pension in 1860. She died in London on November 26, 1862, after suffering from insomnia and chronic liver disease.